Wave-motor.



WAVE MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13,1911.

1,025,929. Patented May 7, 1912.

W 77 v: Inventor.

HENRY J. SNGOK, OF SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA.

WAVE-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'May 7 1912.

Application filed July 13, 1911. Serial No. 638,273.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IIENRY J. SNooK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Monica, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in VVave-Motors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in wave motors and it is an object of the invention to arrange actuating means capable of operating by the movement of the waves of the sea so that the movement of succeeding waves will produce a proper operation of the mechanism for accomplishing work upon any given machinery or mechanism. It is an object also of the invention to arrange one or more helical screws so that the movement of the waves in the ocean will rotate the same thereby producing movement that may be transmitted to other mechanism for accomplishing work.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a series of shafts having helical fins thereon and mount them near the surface of the water in the ocean, so that the movement of the waves will engage said helical fins and rotate the shafts.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of a wave motor formed in accordance with this invention and arranged and anchored in the waters of the ocean. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken through a portion of the pier employed in connection with the wave mot-or, said section being also taken through the adjacent float or barge and showing the mounting of one of the screws upon which the water operates. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through one of the screw carrying shafts and showing an adjacent float in side elevation. Fig;

1 is an enlarged detail view taken through the upper end of one of the adjust-able journal bearings for the sections of the screw propeller shaft-ing. Fig. 5 is an enlarged.

sectional view taken transversely through one of the screw shafts.

The details and features of the invention will now be more specifically described, refcrence being had to the drawing in which 1 indicates a pier or abutment built in the sea in such a manner as to support part of the mechanism of the wave motor and particularly the mechanism of the wave motorfor receiving and transmitting the power produced by the action of the screws. The said pier is preferably formed of concrete,

masonry or any durable material which will resist the action of the sea and form a stable support for the mechanism. The upper por tion of the said pier is formed with sea walls 2 inclosing a space upon the pier for the reception of the mechanism which is to receive and transmit the power generated by the motor. J ournaled upon the said pier are shafts 3 and 4 which preferably extend outwardlyfrom the pier at a suitable angle to the waves of the sea. The inner ends of said shafts are journaled in bearings 5. The said shafts carry beveled gears 6 at their inner ends which are arranged to mesh with each other so that bothshafts move in unison. The said shafts 3 and 4. are also provided with fly wheels 7 for giving them a more even movement. In order to transmit the motion from the shafts 3 and 1 to other mechanism, a shaft- 8 is also jonrnaled in bearings 9 upon the pier 1, and the said shaft is provided with a gear wheel 10 arranged to mesh with one of the beveled gears 6, whereby the said shaft 8 will be rotated through the action of the motor for turning the shafts 3 and 1. A pulley 11 or liketransmitting means is rigidly secured upon the shaft- 8 so that the movement of said shaft may be transmitted by belting or in any other desired manner to mechanism upon which it is do; sirable to perform work.

Cotiperating with the pier 1 are one or more floats 12 which are anchored at proper points in relation to the pier so as to support the screw shafti'ng of the motor. It is usual to employ a plurality of floats or barges 12 and to form the actuating screw shafting in a number of sections which are connected together by universal joints. The

floats 12 are preferably in the form of barges made of ample size to properly support the screw shafting of the motor and central portions of the barges are generally formed with recesses 13 to receive the bearings and connections for the screw shafting and yet permit of the said shatting being held well within the water so that the waves will act upon the helical flanges thereof. The shafting is made of a number of shaft sections 14 which are connected by any usual or ordinary universal joints as for instance the knuckles 15 clearly shown in the drawing. Each of said knuckles is formed. of bifurcated members pivotally connected with each other by trunnions extending upon axes at right angles to each other. The intermediate portions of the shafts between the universal or knuckle joints 15 are formed with helical projecting flanges 16 which are impinged upon by the waves of the ocean and thus caused .to rotate the shafts.

The shafting is supported at the floats by means of adjustable standards 17 which engage bearings 18 formed in the floats and the upper end of each standard is provided with a socket bearing 19, in which the stem 20 of a swivel bearing member 21 is mounted. The upper end of the swivel bearing member is bifurcated and receives an intermediate bearing member 22 which is pivotally secured thereto and which also has a bearing upon the shafting adjacent to one of the knuckles 15.

In order to hold the shafting in proper relation to the water the supporting standards 17 are adjustably mounted upon the floats and supporting chains .23 are connected with the upper ends of each of said standards 17. The chains 23 preferably two in number extend upwardly to pulleys 24 which are fastened to a. transverse shaft 25 journaled upon each of said barges. The shaft 25 0.. each barge is provided with a gear 26 which meshes with an actuating pinion 27 carried by a crank shaft, the said crank shaft having an operating handle 28 secured thereto. A ratchet 29 and a pulley 30 provide for the holding of the said shaft in its adjusted positions and support the standard 17 at the height to which it has been adjusted. By suspending the screw shafting in this manner at points adjacent to each of the knuckles 15, the said shaft is more or less flexible and capable of accommodation to the movement of the water, without interfering with the turning of the same and the transmitting of the power which is derived from the action of the waves. The floats 12 are anchored by any suitable anchoring means as for instance such as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 so that the said shafting extends in alinementwith shafts 3 and 4 which have bearings upon the pier 1. The ends of the inner shaft sections 14 are connected with the outer ends of the shafts 3 and 4 by knuckles 31 and 32 which are usually of the same type as the knuckles 15 heretofore described.

As shown in Fig. l the shafting preferably extends from the pier 1 at acute angles to the waves as they approach the said pier, so that the waves will strike the broad inclined surface of the helical fins 12 upon the shafting and rotate the same. It will be observed that the water moving in the waves will thus run along as it were the entire length of the screws tending to continuously turn the same for actuating the shafts 3 and 4 and the gearing upon the pier 1. The shafts may have a single continuous helical flange or a plurality of such flanges. shown at in Fig. 5 of the drawing, may be used for affording a greater amount of bearing surface to the section of the water. It will be understood that the screws may be adjusted whenever needed,by the operation of the hoisting mechanism provided upon each of the floats. The shafting is usually made to extend a sufficient distance from the pier 1 to extend through a number of succeeding waves so that more than one wave is acting upon each of the said screw shafts simultaneously. thus contributing to an even and steady accumulation of power.

What I claim is 1. A wave motor comprising a screw having anchored supports for its ends, said screw being arranged to be operated upon by the movement of the waves of the ocean, and means for receiving motion therefrom. 2. A Wave motor, comprising screw shafting, a fixed support and floating supports for said shafting for holding the shaftirg within the waters of the sea, so that the waves will rotate the same, and means for receiving and transmitting movement therefrom.

3. A wave motor comprising, flexible screw shafting, means for novably supporting the same in the waves of the sea, and means for obtaining movement therefrom.

4. A wave motor comprising a series of screw shafts, universal couplings joining the said shafts, and gearing receiving movement from said shafts when they are turned by the waves for performing work.

5. A Wave motor, comprislng a pier, flexible rotary shafting mounted thereon, and extending outwardly therefrom toward the approaching waves of the sea, and a series of supports secured at suitable distances fro-m the said pier to support the shaft at points along the length thereof.

6. A wave motor, comprising sectional screw shafts, universal couplings connecting the same, barges having bearings. for the coupling portions of said shafting a fixed support for the end sections of said shafting, and gearing thereon arranged to be actuated by the shafting and transmit to mechanism for work.

7. A Wave motor comprising sectional shafting having helical wave engaging fins formed thereon, floats for supporting the said shafting at intermediate points, adjustable standards engaging said shafting .and mounted upon said floats, and means for ad ustmg said standards whereby the shafting' will be held at a proper height with respect to the surface of the sea.

8. A wave motor comprising diverging flexibly secured shafting, the said shafting at one end extending to a common pier and at their outer dive'i'ging ends to buoyant In testimony that I claim the foregoing I means placed upon the Water, buoyant have hereunto subscribed my name this 1st means supporting the sald outer ends of the day of J uly, 1911.

diverging shafting, intermeshing gearing J- S O connecting their lnner ends, and mounted VVItIlOSSGSZ upon said pier, and mechanlsm adapted to EDMUND A. STRAUSE,

receive movement therefrom. EARLE R. POLLARD. 

